Press Democrat supports David Glass

Press Democrat supports David Glass for Petaluma City Council

A city's future

Press Democrat supports Healy, Glass, Freitas for Petaluma council

Published: September 28, 2008 at 4:41 a.m.

Petaluma has accomplished much in recent months, including the adoption of a long-awaited general plan. But as with the rest of Sonoma County, the city faces numerous challenges --most of them related to the budget.

The City Council recently made the difficult decision of cutting the city's planning staff in half in response to a lack of revenue and a lack of building activity. Similar emotionally charged votes await the next City Council, especially if the destructive Measure K is approved Nov. 4. This underscores the necessity of electing members who have an intimate knowledge of the workings of the city. It's equally important that the city be guided by individuals who are capable of working through polarizing issues in a professional manner.

Toward that end, we recommend Mike Healy, David Glass and Samantha Freitas for the City Council.

Healy and Glass are no strangers to city government. Healy served on the City Council for eight years, stepping aside only after losing a close race with Pam Torliatt for mayor in 2006. Healy is a clear-thinking advocate of responsible development and planning. His list of accomplishments ranges from passing a flood plain building moratorium to bringing a movie theater to downtown. He's also a loyal advocate of the SMART train and a Rainer Avenue crosstown connector.

Likewise, Glass, a former KSRO talk radio host, is seeking to return to City Hall and should be welcomed. Glass also is a strong advocate of smart growth and sensible traffic planning. Although he can get passionate to the extreme about some issues, Glass proved, while serving as mayor from 2002 to 2006, that he is able to get things accomplished and do so in a collaborative fashion. His expertise as a municipal bond broker alsowill be helpful in the fiscally complicated days ahead.

The two incumbents in this field of six candidates are Samantha Freitas and Karen Nau. Although neither has done much to distinguish herself on the council, Freitas shows great promise in terms of her understanding of city issues and local economic needs. Freitas, a mortgage loan officer who was appointed to fill Torliatt's City Council seat 19 months ago, also has a firm grasp of the budgetary constraints ahead, particularly if Measure K -- a head-in-the-sand rollback of water and sewer rates -- is approved.

Among the things that disappoint us about Nau is her inexplicable signing of the petition to place Measure K on the ballot. Nau says it was a mistake, and she now opposes Measure K. But Petaluma needs leaders who are more attentive than that.

The other candidates are Planning Commissioner Spence Burton and Tiffany Renée, a Web site designer. Burton has run unsuccessfully twice before, and Renée ran in 2004. Both are loyal public volunteers, but neither offers the background nor expertise to match the other candidates.

The Press Democrat recommends Mike Healy, David Glass and Samantha Freitas for the Petaluma City Council.